ATW Daily News

Dubai Airshow News

Wednesday November 18, 2009

Air Austral to seat 840 in new A380s
Boeing strikes pay dirt in Algeria
Nepal to open new markets with Airbus order
Airbus calls for biofuel incentives

Additional stories

Dubai News from Nov. 16, Nov. 17.

Displaying the high-density A380 are (l-r) Mary Ellen Jones, Pratt & Whitney VP-marketing; Bill Blair, Engine Alliance executive VP; Jim Moravecek, Engine Alliance president; Gerard Etheve, Air Austral CEO, and Imad Rawas, Engine Alliance VP-sales, Europe & Middle East.

Air Austral to seat 840 in new A380s

Air Austral yesterday firmed the commitment placed at the Paris Air Show for two A380s in a single-class configuration and plans to operate the aircraft with around 840 seats between La Reunion and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

The carrierl is the 17th customer for the A380 and has selected the GP7000 engine. President Gerard Etheve said that the 2014 arrival of its first aircraft will completely change the airline's operations. "We are very proud to be the first with a high-density A380 configuration and we are convinced we will not be the last," he said at the Dubai Airshow.

Value of the order was put at $1 billion, including $240 million for the engines, spares and aftermarket support. Air Austral currently operates two 777-300ERs, three 777-200ERs, two 737s and three ATR 72-500s, according to its website.
by Geoffrey Thomas

Boeing strikes pay dirt in Algeria

Algerian carriers Air Algerie and Tassili Airlines have placed orders for 737-800s, it was announced yesterday at the Dubai Airshow.

Air Algerie revealed a commitment for seven 737-800s. CEO Abdelwahid Bouabdallah said the purchase is part of a "natural progression" for the airline. "One advantage is that our pilots and engineers are expertly trained and experienced with the aircraft and the 737-800 adds great value to our fleet," he said. The order will grow AH's 737 fleet to 22 aircraft. It currently operates 10 737-800s, five 737-600s, three 767-300s, six ATR 72s, five A330-200s, one 737-200F and one L-382G freighter. Its new 737s will be equipped with blended winglets.

Tassili, which formerly was partly owned by Air Algerie, was named as the customer for four -800s. The order originally was placed over the summer (ATWOnline, July 9). The airline is a subsidiary of Sonatrach Petroleum Corp. and initially will use the aircraft to ferry employees and cargo to/from Sonatrach work sites. Boeing said Tassili, founded in 1997, "plans to put its 737s into commercial passenger service on domestic and regional routes in the near future."
by Geoffrey Thomas

Nepal Airlines to open new markets with Airbus order

Nepal Airlines signed an MOU with Airbus to acquire one A330-200 and one A320.

"We have seen tremendous growth in tourism over recent years and we want to capitalize on the A330's unique performance and range to offer direct services to our key long-haul markets and to develop new ones thanks to the efficiency of the A320," Nepal Airlines Executive Chairman Sugat Ratna Kansakar said at the Dubai Airshow.

The A330 will be used on flights to Japan and Europe, neither of which currently is served by the carrier. The A320 will operate to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Nepal Airlines currently flies out of 30 domestic airports and serves 10 international destinations, according to Airbus.
by Geoffrey Thomas

Airbus calls for biofuel incentives

Airbus called for government incentives in the form of emissions trading scheme concessions to promote biofuel feedstock production.

Responding to a question from ATWOnline, Engineer Program Manager-Alternative Fuels Ross Walker said the manufacturer believes that "governments should not regulate" the use of biofuels but rather "recognize biofuel use in the ETS scheme" through incentives.

He said the aviation industry is "very innovative" but that production of large-scale biofuel feedstocks is "a challenge." Nevertheless, he predicted that biofuels such as algae, which he described as the golden chalice of the industry, "will make up 15% of aviation fuel by 2020 and 30% by 2030."

However, focusing on just one biofuel source from one area would be a mistake, he said. "Local solutions from local environments giving local employment, and thus less energy in transporting fuels, are the keys," he concluded.
by Geoffrey Thomas

Lufthansa Technik and Oman Air signed a letter of intent to establish a technical support center serving both the airline's growing fleet and third-party customers in the region. The facility will be housed in a new hangar to be built at Muscat International, which is undergoing modernization and expansion. The hangar will be able to handle two widebody and two single-aisle aircraft simultaneously and the 300 technicians and engineers will be able to perform routine maintenance up to light C checks on A330, 737NG and ATR 42 aircraft. Oman Air CEO Peter Hill said he anticipated "more mutual beneficial opportunities" with LHT in the future. LHT also will perform 15 C checks on the carrier's 737NGs in Malta, Budapest and Sofia starting in January.

SR Technics and easyJet signed an 11-year, $1.6 billion renewal and extension of their maintenance agreement at the show yesterday. The deal secures the LCC as a cornerstone customer for SRT and the airline will be the first base load customer at a new SRT facility to be built in Malta. That facility, also announced yesterday, will be a four-bay narrowbody station and is scheduled to be completed by mid-2012. In the interim, an existing two-bay facility will be used to overhaul aircraft from the third quarter of 2010. SRT has joined with Malta Enterprise Corp. and Malta Industrial Parks to build the facility. EasyJet Operations Director Cor Vrieswijk said the carrier expects an "annual 17% reduction in maintenance costs by the 11th year through improved processes and economy of scale."

Lufthansa Systems won a contract from Etihad Airways to supply its Lido/Flight flight planning solution. Deal includes a number of add-ons including Traffic Flow Restrictions and Inflight Monitor. Etihad COO Richard Hill told ATWOnline yesterday at the show that the airline expects Lido to offer "a 2% fuel saving and 5% reduction in flying costs overall."

Honeywell announced a TCAS upgrade to include the Change 7.1 standard. It said the upgrade includes ADS-B technology that will provide pilots with previously unavailable air traffic data.

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